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Topological Methods in Data Analysis
Colloquium| Speaker: | Gunnar Carlsson, Stanford University |
| Location: | 1147 MSB |
| Start time: | Tue, May 22 2007, 4:10PM |
Description
Algebraic topology is an effective formalism for studying
geometric objects. It provides signatures which effectively encode many
of our intuitive concepts about the qualitative nature of spaces, such as
breaking up into components, possessing loops, possessing higher
dimensional holes, etc. Recently, a methodology called persistent
homology has been developed which permits the transport of these methods
from the world of pure geometry to the probabilistic world of point cloud
data, i.e. large but finite point sets sampled from a geometric object. I
will discuss this theory, and show how it plays out in some examples.
Refreshments will start at 3:45 in MSB 1147. Dinner will follow the Colloquium.